From Dust
by Thismachinekillsfascists1
Summary: The Wanderer disappeared after completing Project Purity. Some believe his spirit broke after seeing all of his hard work be for naught. The Capital Wasteland is still just as dangerous as it was the day he stepped foot out of Vault 101. Years later a raider named Alistair deals with reconciling who he was with who he is as he tries to care for his small band.
1. From Dust

"Gooooood morning Capital Wasteland. This is Three Dog coming to you loud and proud from Galaxy News Radio!'

The sound split Alistair's head open like that ax split his cousin's. Smiling for a second at his own private joke, he slowly himself out of bed. _Ugh too much, way too much_, the young raider thought to himself. Memories of last night's debauchery slowly making their way back into his brain.

Karen? or Carol? Someone with a name similar to that laid next to him in bed, still unmoving despite Three Dog's rude interruption of what was an otherwise enjoyable rest. _Cigarette_, the thought clawed at his brain. Pulling his pack out he took a deep first inhale, savoring the way it burned. _If I'm going to kill myself I want it to hurt,_ his old private joke made it's way back into his head.

"Are you gonna give me one or am I shit out of luck?" Carole/Karen/Whoever-The-Fuck's voice broke through the silence.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Alistair mumbled back still staring into the distance, absent mindedly pulling a second out and lighting it for her.

"You know, I met him once." he said, talking to himself more than his companion.

"Who?"

"Three Dog, he's got these nerdy fuckin glasses."

"Really! I never took him for the type." Her response was met with silence as Alistair continued to stare off lost in his own brain.

He **had** met him, that wasn't a lie. Back then the glasses didn't seem so nerdy. Neither did The Good Fight he was always shouting about but then again, back then there was still The Wanderer. The Last Shining Light in The Capital Wasteland or something.

Some shining light it turned out to be though. Now there was clean water for everyone and yet, the wastes were still the wastes. Some people think the reality broke him. He walked off one day and hadn't been heard from since.

"Well, I appreciate last night but I should go. Still have kids and a husband who'll be wondering where I am." The girls voice broke the silence yet again.

"Yeah, you should get back." he barely whispered. It was a shame. Despite not quite remembering her name he had liked her, at least the night before he had. She gathered her things and opened the shack door, light bursting through blinding Alistair for a moment, the headache quickly returning.

A few minutes after she exited, there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry to bug ye boss but the boys are gettin restless." Joey's harsh voice entered Alistair's ears. "Don't wanna keep em waitin all day do ye."

"No, no Joey, I'm on my way out just gimme a minute." Alistair called out, his throat dry and gravely from dehydration. He got up and began slipping into his leathers pulling his cowboy boots and gray, worn poncho on. Before he left he walked over to a small shrine built into his little shack.

"Morning Mary. Care to keep an eye out for me today." He whispered to the small statue leaving a bottle cap at her feet to replace his gun belt.

Walking out into the summer morning sun was a mistake he wished he didn't have to make but make it he did. The sun beat down on his face as he saw his small gang getting ready for their day. Ashe was finishing breakfast while Joey had retaken his seat next to her. The two had been a package deal when they joined and Alistair was damn glad they were.

Tycho was sitting in the nest he built himself on the second floor of a partially collapsed building. He took night watches, prefered it that way. Lastly, there was Jerrod, muttering to himself as usual, his head shaven bald and covered in tattoos you'd think he was a madman, the reality was much worse.

"Boss, I was thinkin. Well, we were thinkin, to be honest, We think they're coming from the east." Jerrod whispered to him, having walked up to him as quickly as he could. "Pitt scum making another pass through The Capital. Tycho says there's nofin movin from that trainyard, so Delilah says east. Wind feels funny from that way." Jerrod wasn't meant to be a raider. He and his sister Delilah had been born in River City and lived there til the Enclave showed up. Now, Delilah only lives on in his head. Anyone else might have a problem but Delilah's a goddamn genius and that's exactly what Alistair needs.

"Thanks guys. We'll head east then." Clapping the man's shoulders and giving him a smile, Alistair went to grab whatever Ashe had cooked up for breakfast.

Ashe and Joey or Joey and Ashe as Joey insists on. They were a couple made for each other. Both grew up in Paradise Falls until The Wanderer came through like a sword of vengeance. Ashe convinced Joey to escape during the insanity and found they're way to Alistair a few years later. Never separate long, they bring out the best in each other. Joey manages to soothe an otherwise boiling temper Ashe has, while she's constantly challenging him to get even better. Joey is a hell of a second in command and when things get tough can be trusted to make the right call.

"What have you cooked up for us today Princess Ashe?" Alistair says with a grin, seating himself in a lawn chair.

"I hate to disappoint boss but it was Joe's turn today and boy did he fuck it up." She gave a good laugh for a moment before adding. "Don't worry though I fixed it." handing him a bowl of what appeared to be molerat stew.

"Tycho, breakfast, c'mon down. If someone's gonna shoot us they'll have to wait till we've eaten." Alistair called out to the man on the second floor. A few minutes later, Tycho, a slim, gaunt man appeared.

"Boss, should really consider moving." he said with an air of paranoia. Tycho had been a slave in the Pitt and was always jumpy about staying in one place. This was not the first time they'd had this argument. Nor would it be the last, despite having not moved in more than a year.

"Every time you say that Tycho and every time I ask you, who's gonna come after us? Pitt scum? Don't know their heads from their asses in these parts. Brotherhood doesn't even know we exist and if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times we have an understanding with the regulators." the first and last statements were true. Alistair had a bag of fingers to prove it. The one about the Brotherhood though, he couldn't be sure. What he was confident about was even if they did know them, they wouldn't be of any interest since they leave their water caravans alone.

"Whatever you say boss." Tycho admitted defeat with a sigh as he began to eat.

"Gentlemen, and Ashe, I think today is going to be a very good day!" Alistair exclaimed.


	2. 2: Not a Good Day

It was not a good day. Four hours after setting up an ambush just east of Minefield, the Pitt scum came walking along the road. That was the good news. The bad news was they had tied recently captured slaves to themselves in an effort to keep anyone from pulling the trigger. It was working.

"Fucks sake what do we do now." Joey spat, looking through his binoculars. The slavers were making their way back north. Back to the Pitt.

"Calm down Joey, we'll figure it out. Tycho any ideas?" Alistair whispered. _Yeah we'll probably get those people killed is what we'll do._

"I'm not sure boss. I could hit one right now but I'm not sure how they'll take that." Looking through his scope Tycho could tell that if a full fight broke out even he'd have trouble getting clean shots.

"No it's no good. Alright you guys stay here. Don't do anything until I give the signal." With that command Alistair stood and made his way down the hill towards the slavers.

"Fuckin hot here innit." One of the slaves mumbled to himself. Slick had been put in charge of this party and fully intended on getting out alive. After the last few parties hadn't come back he'd hatched up a plan that would be their ticket to safety, now he was walking with a young woman tied to the front him.

"At least no do gooder is gonna risk hittin the meat shields." he said out loud causing the woman to whimper slightly. In the distance just ahead he saw a figure stumbling through the wastes.

"What the hell is this," one of the slaves exclaimed as the figure drew closer. Before them was a dirty, blonde haired man wearing a poncho looking worse for wear.

"Water, please," his weak voice called out. As he drew nearer he stumbled on his own feet and fell to the ground.

"Jonesy, go die this prick up and put him in the wagon." Slick called. _What a day, including the new asshole that's 13 new slaves. Ashur will be pleased. _

Ashe, Tycho and Joey watched as their boss was bound and put into a wagon drawn by brahmin. They silently followed for a few more hours until the slavers set up camp for the night.

That night 3 of the slaves pulled the short stick and took watch. Slick their leader decided to take the woman he'd been carrying all day to his tent with him.

"Been ridin me all day, I might as well return tha favor." He whispered to her, his ill-intent dripping through his teeth. As soon as he disappeared Alistair sat up for the first time since he was bound.

"Alright I'll only say this once. Stay goddamn quiet and you get make it out of this alive." he whispered through his teeth. _This is going to hurt_ was his last thought before he used all of his strength to slam his wrists into the ground. There was a slight cracking sound. _Oh Jesus Christ, okay one more time. _With another slam to the ground, he heard a sickening crack and felt the pain scream through his wrist.

"God fuck." he whimpered but managed to pull the newly broken wrist from the handcuffs he was placed into. _Old man's tricks still helpful to this day, _ he thought as he remembered the words of his old mentor.

"Listen kid if they tie you up with ropes, you're pretty fucked unless you find something to cut em with. But if they're using em old handcuffs, it's not pretty but I've seen a few guys who've broken they're own wrists and slipped out. Better that than wasting away as some assholes pet huh?" _Yeah sure... better. _With both hands free Alistair moved over to the door, pulling a bobby pin free from his shirt sleeve he worked the lock until he heard the sweet click of the lock.

Alistair crept his way to Slick's tent avoiding the view of the slavers taking watch. Slick had taken his gun, so he had to go first. When he entered his tent he saw Slick, back to the entrance, unbuttoning his pants as the young woman cowered away from him in the corner.

"Oh c'mon sweetheart it won't be tha-" His sentence forever incomplete by the snapping of his neck. The woman let out a cry as his body hit the ground with a thud.

"Shhh shhh shhh I'm here to help okay." Alistair reassured her until slowly she started to nod. "Okay, you wait here and be very quiet. I'm going to deal with our friends outside okay?" she nodded again. Alistair liberated his trusty .44 from Slick's body and gave the woman one last wink before walking out of the tent.

One, two, three, four, five, six. She counted as she heard each shot from the man's revolver. She didn't hear any returning shots for a moment then she heard a barrage of assault rifle fire. Then silence, nothing moved but the wind and she half expected to see another slaver come in and finish the job Slick was about to start.

An eternity passed and all she could do was stare at the tent flap. Waiting, hoping it was the man who had saved her who'd come back in. Instead, a woman with light brown hair, half shaved poked her head in.

"You can come out now if you'd like. Or wait here it doesn't really matter." Her voice was like music. Light, almost making a joke about the whole situation.

Outside six slavers were dead on the ground around the tent. 3 more mowed down running to the slave pen. Alistair stood smoking a cigarette while Joey wrapped his wrist.

"Jesus Christ boss, if you want to die you could just tell me I'd be happy to take your place but this was just fuckin stupid and you know it!" Joey scolded Alistair before injecting a stimpack.

"Oh don't worry Joey you'll be in charge before you'd like." It was almost a threat the way he said it. Joey certainly took it as one before Jerrod came back from the slave pen.

"H-hey boss. Um that asshole that let off a spray at the pen. He um he got one of them slave real bad...Delilah says he's not gonna make it."


End file.
